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TIL Charondas - a Greek lawgiver - once issued a law saying that anyone who brought weapons into the Assembly must be put to death. One day, he arrived to the Assembly after hunting with a knife still attached to his belt. He committed suicide in order to uphold his own law.

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kOlYW TIL Though the royal figures on modern playing cards do not represent actual people, names were assigned to them: Charlemagne (hearts), David (spades), Caesar (diamonds), and Alexander (clubs). The names of the queens — Judith or Judic (hearts), Pallas (spades), Rachel (diamonds), and Argine (clubs)
m1Yy TIL a woman disguised herself as a man for 18 months to write a book on gender. After the experiment, she was institutionalized for depression, and stated that she never felt so glad for being a woman.
5VyQn TIL Genghis Khan would marry off a daughter to the king of an allied nation. Then he would assign his new son in law to military duty in the Mongol wars, while his daughter took over the rule. Most sons in law died in combat, giving his daughters complete control of these nations
Zlma TIL that Google founded Calico, an anti-ageing company designed to ultimately cure death
xGpg TIL Betty White is a huge animal lover who would have become a zookeeper had she not gone into acting. She rejected a role in “As Good As It Gets” because of an animal cruelty scene, she visits local zoos when traveling, and she’s been a long-term board member and generous donor to the L.A. Zoo.